Are Smart Campaigns still worth running?

LucasLee12

Newbie

Oct 3, 2025

12

3

• Oct 4, 2025

• #1

Google keeps pushing Smart Campaigns but they seem to waste budget. Are they giving any ROI to experienced advertisers?

 

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OptiPickle

BANNED

Sep 25, 2025

58

18

• Oct 7, 2025

• #2

They’re okay for small local stuff, but manual campaigns still perform way better for real control and ROI.

 

chainbull

Junior Member

Jr. VIP

Jun 1, 2025

114

28

• Oct 7, 2025

• #3

LucasLee12 said:

Google keeps pushing Smart Campaigns but they seem to waste budget. Are they giving any ROI to experienced advertisers?

Click to expand...

Smart Campaigns rarely give good ROI for experienced advertisers — they limit control and often waste budget. Manual or Performance Max setups perform better for targeted results.

 

knightm

Supreme Member

Nov 26, 2011

1,209

314

• Oct 7, 2025

• #4

Smart Campaigns spend fast but rarely give strong ROI because they limit targeting and data control.

 

nitish16

Regular Member

Jun 20, 2025

203

72

• Oct 7, 2025

• #5

Smart Campaigns can still work for small local goals, but for experienced advertisers, manual control usually delivers far better ROI

 

shijin

Elite Member

Jr. VIP

Aug 21, 2023

4,080

1,700

• Oct 7, 2025

• #6

I tried one for a new project, and it wasted almost 30% of my budget before I realized it, manual beats Smart every time